Men's Basketball

No. 3 ASU Bounces Back At Home

Dec 15, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State shot 64 percent
in the first half Monday night and opened its Peach Belt Conference
schedule with an 80-68 victory over Georgia College & State in
Christenberry Fieldhouse.

With the victory, the third-ranked Jaguars improved to 4-1 overall
and 1-0 in the PBC. The Bobcats, who entered the game averaging
more than 103 points per game, dropped to 4-1 overall and 0-1 in
the league.

The win marked ASU's fifth straight in the series with GCSU
and improved to the Jaguars to 30-7 in conference play under
fifth-year head coach Dip Metress.

Shaun Keaton tallied a game-high 18 points for GCSU, which
connected on 11 3-pointers in the contest but shot just 36.4
percent from the field. Ken Kemp and Justin Brown chipped in 11 and
10 points, respectively.

ASU jumped ahead with a 19-2 run midway through the first half with
Brathwaite giving the Jags a 31-13 lead on a jumper at the 7:05
mark. After the Bobcats got within 13, ASU closed the half on a 9-3
run to open up a 48-29 lead – it's largest of the game
-- at halftime.

The Bobcats fought back early in the second half, outscoring ASU
15-4 to close within 52-44 on a Josh Hurst jumper at the 13:51
mark. The Jags pushed their lead back to as much as 15 on a Siler
free throw before GCSU answered with a 10-0 spurt. Keaton capped
the run with a pair of free throws to cut the Bobcat deficit to
65-60 with just 3:03 remaining.

On ASU's next possession, Dixon drilled a 3-pointer with the
shot clock running down and Hire added two free throws to give the
Jags a 70-60 cushion. ASU scored its last 12 points from the free
throw line as the visitors fouled to extend the game.

ASU hit a season-high 26-of-29 free throws and connected on eight
treys. The Jags outrebounded GCSU 40-32 and received a season-high
29 points from their bench.

ASU returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 20 when it travels to
Bowie, Md., to take on the Bowie State Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m.